‘Not a typical Klopp signing’ – Liverpool star ‘baffles’ Carra with ‘other areas’ needing ‘strengthened’
Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo is not a ‘typical Jurgen Klopp signing’ and the £45million investment could have been spent elsewhere.
Gakpo joined the Reds in January after an incredible start to the season at PSV Eindhoven.
However, the Netherlands international has failed to register a single goal contribution in six matches for Klopp’s side.
Such is the nature of the beast, plenty of fans and pundits are doubting the signing already.
Liverpool also completed the signing of Darwin Nunez last summer, and fans are remaining patient with him, but due to the club’s awful form in the Premier League, there has been a little less patience with Gakpo.
The Reds are in dire need of midfield recruits and have been strongly linked with Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham.
They did not pursue the England international in the winter transfer window and Gakpo ended up being their only signing.
Former Liverpool defender Carragher is “baffled” by the performances of Gakpo and has questioned why the club did not sign a midfielder instead.
“Liverpool wanted to sign one (a midfielder) in Aurelien Tchouameni from Monaco, knowing his market value was £75million,” Carragher wrote for The Telegraph.
“When Tchouameni chose Real Madrid, the money was there if Klopp wanted an alternative, but he opted to wait until 2023, hoping he will lure Jude Bellingham. That was Klopp’s call, not owner John W. Henry’s.
“In attack, [Luis] Diaz started his Liverpool career brilliantly but Nunez is a work in progress, and I am baffled watching Gakpo’s early performances.
“Gakpo is not a typical Klopp signing, lacking lightning pace and the capacity to lead a high press.
“Why commit up to £45million on someone who will be on the bench when Diaz and Diogo Jota are fit? Especially when another area of the team needed strengthening?”
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Liverpool are tenth in the Premier League and Klopp’s job has been put under a lot of scrutiny in recent weeks.
However, Carragher thinks the German manager is the man to turn things around and lead the club’s rebuild.
He said: “We often talk about managers having ‘credit in the bank’. Jürgen Klopp is the reason Liverpool are now valued in the billions. The club’s transformation under Fenway Sports Group accelerated because of him.
“I would change everyone else at Liverpool before Klopp, but we cannot ignore that the Anfield renaissance was assisted by the collective expertise of many departments, the coaching and recruitment staff especially working in harmony. Until last summer, virtually every major deal worked.”
Carragher added: “Unfortunately, Liverpool now find themselves in a position where they too must rebuild.
“Klopp is definitely the man to do so, although the circumstances are different to when he took over in 2015 and the so-called ‘transfer committee’ was well-established.
“I have no doubt Klopp’s skill enhanced the reputation of those ‘committee’ members. You are not telling me that in Klopp’s first summer he did not contribute to signing Joel Matip on a free transfer from the Bundesliga, or that he was not enthusiastic about recruiting Mane after nearly taking him to Borussia Dortmund.
“Klopp’s coaching turned some good players who would have enjoyed steady careers under a different coach into Champions League-winning superstars.
“Players can come and go. So too can sporting directors and board members. Liverpool still have their brilliant manager. Now is the time to revisit the blueprint he so brilliantly began to enforce in 2015.”
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